Secrets
by Professor Balorjey
Summary: Originally called 'Shadows and Secrets', this is the first installment of a fan-made story arc called 'Jedi of Yamaran'. Episode 1: Secrets! Co-written with WishIwasaJedi. I forgot to add: if suddenly people are calling Lea 'Elmorton', it's because I might have skipped over a couple name-changes. Rating subject to change in later installments.
1. Crawl

**As the Clone Wars drag on, countless Jedi sacrifice themselves for the cause of the Republic. Generals Quay Tom-Go and Dorban Skamini are victims to the heartlessness of the Separatists, their legions and Padawans masterless. The Republic and the Order tirelessly assigns and reassigns legions and Padawans to generals, finding their focus on some slipping away…**


	2. Introductions

**AN: Hilinor is a fictitious** **planet that was spawned in a dream of mine that I thought would get on the average clone's nerves. It got on mine. Oh, yeah, and the lip stain stays as Beck's custom.**

Grey scanned the horizon. Crouched behind a large rock, he glanced at the enemy. From behind, the Gris looked like a peaceful creature. It had a resemblance to its bovine cousins, like horns and a tail with a mind of its own.

But this cow had eaten five clone troopers.

It was a bad cow.

The Gris swished its tail and its ears pricked up. It turned one hundred eighty degrees and Grey scowled at the creature's nefarious, innocent expression. On the inside the cow was planning something in his diabolically tiny brain. He would wait until nightfall to charge at the remaining, unsuspecting clones. He would bare his extremely long, serrated teeth and eat them. Of course, he would need a way to puncture the surprisingly tough, white and purple outer skin. Maybe the mushrooms would like to help.

The Gris snorted in frustration. The remaining clones had smeared diluted Liiki plant sap over their armor, masking their smell. Too much of the corrosive liquid could lead to disastrous results.

Beck clutched his Zygerrian hunting knife until Grey guessed his knuckles were white underneath the knuckle guard.

 _The mushrooms are usually peaceful,_ Grey thought. _Unless they get a meal for free. Yugs are ruthless but harmless unless there's a swarm containing a queen, then you can be in danger. Byts are poisonous every day or every other standard month. Miks are allies to the Gris and will cheer the cow on until it has opened us up like a pinata. Then it will regret its decision, but we'll still be dead._

Grey hated this planet.

The Gris sniffed again, then tottered off.

Pluck, another survivor, let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm freaked."

"I think we all are, Pluck." Beck peaked out at the clear horizon.

Just then, a mik hopped onto his helmeted head. Everyone froze as it stared at them with huge, cartoony, comical eyes. It blinked, then glanced at Grey, who moved from his sitting position to a crouched one, picking up Beck's knife.

"Sit still and I won't accidentally kill you," he whispered. He watched the mik carefully, trying to find a way to kill it without hurting his brother, who was as still a bacta pod.

With a quick and sudden movement, the mik face planted onto Beck's helmet, causing all the clones present to cock their heads in confusion. A wet, juicy, kissing sound was what they heard when it hopped off.

The squad watched it run away, then back at the trooper's helmet. Grey removed it to show him.

"It kissed me," stated Beck, staring at the lipstick-like pattern left on it.

Pluck rolled his eyes. "That never happens to me," he moaned.

"Keep it." Grey shrugged. "You can claim it was from a cute Twi'Lek girl."

Beck smiled mischievously. "I will."

Pluck gagged. "Why would a Twi'Lek girl kiss you on the crown of your _helmet_? If you're itching to have one, tattoo a lipstick stain on your own big mouth."

The remaining squad chuckled, but stayed low. By the look on Pluck's face, he was serious. "Get a _cyar'ika_ ," he growled. "You need one."

"Just like you _think_ you have one," Beck said, raising his eyebrows. "I did some research. There is no Okea Jari living on Coruscant."

Pluck looked up, his eyes squinting. Gasping, he looked at Beck incredulously. "She moved?"

Grey rolled his eyes and waited for the reinforcements to arrive.

The boys were funny; they thought they had a chance of settling down and getting a girl. He was probably the last one to start thinking about girls on the front lines in his whole squad. Pluck would rave about his fake girlfriend, Beck would daydream, and the late Macho would do so as well. Cuff, who was absent on the mission to Hilinor, would strike up nervous conversation about holo-thriller starlets. Grey kept his lips shut. Girls weren't so important to him; his brothers' protection was way more important than a Twi'Lek or some hot celebrity.

It was weird.

Finally in the safety of an LAAT/i gunship, Grey was able to relax. However, he had the ability, though he wouldn't. He lost so many brothers there. Even his General, Quay Tom-Go. Everyone, save himself and his two brothers, died.

It didn't bode well with his stomach. All through the trip back to Kamino to be debriefed and to be put on hold until reassigned, he felt queasy with the feeling of being one of three survivors.

He sighed and waited until they were home.

Padawan Lea Balorjey watched the dead body of a former Master burn. All through the Hall of the Force, there were grim faces and serious silence. Through her large, brown robe, she shivered. It wasn't that she was cold; it was the feeling of a new master.

"With us, Master Skamini will always be," Yoda said, watching the body of Lea's former master burn.

"If only it was true," she whispered to herself, blinking away any thoughts of crying. Dorban Skamini was her Jedi version of a father. He taught her everything, even from when she was a youngling. He selected her early, but no one had a problem with it. She was taken under his wing, and she felt safe and easy with him.

But now, she was a masterless Padawan who was only halfway through her training.


	3. Knighthood

Lea ran into Master Mairin Tesbin as she was going back to her quarters. The Mirialan stood tall, overshadowing the Padawan. She intimidated most, though she was a generous and amiable Jedi.

"My condolences about your Master," she said simply.

Lea looked at her booted feet. "What is done is behind me," she sighed. "I'm fine."

"I had lost my Master to the hands of General Grievous as well." Mairin laid a yellow hand on Lea's robed shoulder. "What you say isn't the real truth."

The Padawan blinked, seeing the gory, traumatizing experience all over again. Her Master, a Kajain'sa'Nikto, was strangled by one of Grievous' many claws before being impaled right in front of her. She remembered feeling hot tears stinging her cheeks, screaming, but unable to save him. Grievous saw her and chased her as far as she went until she got to her star-ship.

"I know," Lea confessed. "I couldn't help but feel… I wanted revenge. Badly." She paused. "I know that's not what Master Skamini would have wanted, so I'm fine now."

Mairin nodded, still skeptical. "I understand the want to show Grievous what is to lose, but it's not the Jedi Way. Remember that, young one."

Lea nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Master Yoda wishes to speak with you in the Council."

Surprised, Lea nodded again, her crystal blue eyes widening. "Yes, Master."

She ran in the direction of the Council, her heart pounding. She flew past countless Jedi, each confused at her rush.

Lea slid into the almost empty Council room, but immediately composed herself as she did so. "You called for me?"

"Discuss your further learning, we are." Yoda motioned for her to sit next to him in an empty seat.

Reluctantly, she consented. She waited.

"Close to your graduation you are, hm?"

"Four more years, Master." Lea shrugged. "Forgive my bluntness, but I do not count that as 'almost'."

"Closer you are today. Graduating to Knight, you are." Yoda smiled slightly. "Thought long, I have. Tomorrow, you are a Knight."

Lea stared, wide-eyed. He was joking. But then again, Master Yoda wasn't one to joke. He found things humorous, but he didn't prank people.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Um, yes. Thank you, Master." She was still caught by surprise. She stood reluctantly, bowed, and left.

So weird.


	4. Grey

This was the very first this ever happened. A Padawan graduated four years too early, an at-mission merge, and a reassignment before even meeting beforehand. It caught many off guard, including poor Lea Elmorton. Especially Commander Grey. This was such an unpredictable series of events, but their mission, however, was quite predictable.

Christophsis was, once again, overrun by Separatist droids.

The LAAT/i jolted tremendously with the aversion of cannon blasts. Lea held onto the descent handholds. Crouching, she lay low to keep from falling and make herself look wimpy. The small squad of infantry troopers in the gunship with her were easy in the hailfire.

The Riot Squadron consisted of five troopers she had just met. Their names were Aurek, Step, Crash, Catchol, and Bolo. Each and every one was as wild as a rabid Nexu and twice as dangerous. Bolo was an expert shot with any gun he was given, Crash's favorite pastime was headbutting droids into inexistence, Step was always in front, Catchol's favorite weapon was whatever made him feel more alive than his enemies, and Aurek's greatest talent was being able to keep his brothers in check.

In short, this wasn't a comfortable ride for herself.

"Here's our drop, boys!" Aurek yelled over the sound of blaster fire and chaos.

"Yay," mumbled Lea.

The doors opened and five anxious clones jumped out, greeted by two more Jedi, their commanders, and one more, who waited for Lea. His helmet was tucked under his arm, and he stood at attention. His armor was painted with a deep sunset purple, and his helmet sported two ram horn designs on the front.

"Sir!"

The newly dubbed general shook her head vigorously. "General's enough, sir."

Still at attention, the commander smirked at her. "Sir's insulting, or what?"

Lea rolled her eyes. Mairin Tesbin and her former Padawan, the Rodian Sayne Ikon, stood with their respective legions, awaiting her.

"The Council decided it would help if you weren't alone," Mairin said, smiling slightly. "I thought so, too."

"Thank you greatly, Masters." Lea bowed respectfully.

"This is Commander Grey." Sayne motioned at the commander behind Lea. "He's under your orders now."

Lea turned. "At ease, soldier."

Grey obeyed, which made her feel authoritative. She straightened herself out with pride.

"What're we up against, Grey?" Sayne asked, his starry eyes glinting with anticipation.

"The Seppies have taken The Route of Glass, a central supply route that goes through the whole of Christophsis. If they can keep it, they can starve out the residents, leading to their victory. The easiest way to take back the bridge that starts the route is to blow up the two Separatist command towers on either side, but that would lead to the whole Bridge falling. Our best option is to take control of both command towers."

"Sounds simple," said Lea.

"What sounds simple is the most complicated, young one." Mairin shook her head. "We need a detailed strategy. If the command towers are so close, they have ways of protecting each other. We have to take them down at the same time."

Lea nodded. "We can do that with one legion."

Mairin frowned at the Knight's pride. "One cannot be too careful, young one."

The Master had called her a 'young one' a bajillion times already.

Grey snuck her a small shrug and a confused expression. He had never seen such a paranoid Jedi before, but not one so careless as Lea's confidence. Anything could go wrong on a sabotage mission, but then again, it was textbook stuff for himself and his brothers. They could take a bridge in their sleep.

Not that they had done it as of yet, but they could.

The Master opened a hologram on the 3D map of The Bridge of Glass. "The two Separatist command towers are half a klick away from each other, each on the edge of the Bridge. My troops can cut off one tower, while the 618th can take the other, correct?"

Grey nodded. "Yes, General."  
"Good. We need to time this exactly, should we fail to, the late tower will blast with you on it."

The commander nodded again. "That wouldn't be as bad as you make it sound, but I understand, General."

Mairin looked back at Sayne. "Are you ready for an adventure?"

Sayne smiled. "As always, Master."

"Lea, Grey, time yourselves. We should attack at fifteen hundred _precisely_."

The Knight bowed, and the party disbanded.

"So," Grey started, not knowing what to say. "You're new in the field?"

"Yep. Are you?"

"Not really. Served two years under General Tom-Go. That's known as a long time for us clones." Grey walked past her, his helmet still under his arm.

"Really?" Lea rose an eyebrow. "How long's really long?"

The commander paused a second. "So far, no one's gotten past four years of service."

Lea frowned. "Do they push you pretty hard?"

Grey looked down at the girl. She was shorter than most human Jedi he knew, about up to his chest. Her bleach blonde hair was shaved off on one side, then the other was straightened and cut to her small chin. The tips of her hair were dyed blood red, the color of her lips. Her eyes blue crystal blue and hooded by dense, black eyelashes. What he found interesting were the piercings on both her ears. She had four small hoops through the tip of her ear, each bearing a different color, and a charm. The first was a black spear, the next was a red varactyl, the one after that being a purple Acklay, and finally, a gray bow and arrow.

"You ask a lot of questions," he stated. "I can only hope to keep up, kid." He smirked and proceeded.

 _Kid?_ she thought. _I'm technically three years older than you._

Rolling her eyes, she followed him, jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"Hey." She walked beside him, taking very long steps to keep in pace. "If we're going to bomb this command tower to Havan, can I join?"

Grey laughed. "We're not bombing it. We're taking it simultaneously with General Tesbin and General Ikon."

"And how do you plan on going around doing that?"

The commander paused a second time. "Um… I don't… we haven't gotten that far."

Lea smirked. "I could help."

Grey turned to face her. "How so?"

He never meant any offense in his little faith in her, but he and his brothers knew what it was like to be under faulty authority. If this girl, this _kid_ , managed to make one mistake, it would cost more lives from the 618th Legion. He wanted Lea to be right, but he wanted her to be as meticulous as possible. Judging by her pride and confidence, she could make every single mistake in the book.


	5. The Two Towers

Grey's heart pounded harder as he and his general walked the side of the command tower. Since the sills were motion sensitive and would send a deadly charge out and at them, they decided against ascension cables. At first Grey had to think to compromise, but the Jedi already had an idea.

Lea strained to focus the Force on her commander, who seemed quite edgy about being lifted hundreds of feet into the air with nothing to rely on but her concentration. She knew it was common for clones to suffer from acute phobias to things like heights and enclosed spaces, but his distress wasn't helping her lift him to the command tower.

It was easier to fall than to climb, but that was deadlier than holding on.

Lea clamped her free hand onto a handhold, her fingers raw from climbing. She looked down, seeing men from her legion keep the guns and defense away from them. How she wished that was her, given she had a fear of heights herself.

"I can hold onto it now, General." Grey pulled himself onto the safe side of the sill, then pulled Lea up with him. They both looked down, and the Knight saw Grey shudder slightly. Nevertheless, he turned and unholstered his pistol. He simply shot at the glass and it shattered, allowing them to jump through.

Lea activated her lightsaber and shoto and dropped into the Soresu defensive stance. Grey whipped out his second pistol, awaiting rebellion.

"It's quiet," Lea said, frowning. She walked up to the unmanned control systems. She shifted her grip on her lightsaber and shoto, waiting for an attack from behind. "That never happens."

"Whatever we're up against knows how to tick me off," said Grey quietly, turning.

Lea sat down at the controls and waited for Mairin to give her to okay to move on. "This is easy," she sighed with relief. "All we need to do is-"

The sound of glass shattering made the two duck.

"Not that easy," sneered their guest, Asajj Ventress.

Lea reactivated her weapons and frowned. "Took me a while to imagine you," she said. "But you're uglier in person."

Grey stepped back at the controls, ready for Master Tesbin to call them.

Then, the already small room erupted in turmoil as Asajj lashed out at Lea. A full-out battle between them ensued, Grey struggling to stay out of the way and await further orders.

"Commander Grey!" His comlink blipped on, and he couldn't have been more thankful for it. "We switch it off on the count of three."

"Not just yet," the commander grunted as Asajj pointed her attacks towards him. He shot at her until he lost count, trying to keep the assassin away from the controls. Her double lightsaber technique was fluid, if not angry and quick.

The three-person battle was unfair… for Grey and Lea. They were a clone commander and an inexperienced Jedi against an assassin. An assassin!

Grey was moved away from the controls by Asajj, still shooting trigger happy. Ventress blocked easily, but Lea was slightly more of a match. His general retaliated and kept on coming at her. He made his way back to the power system, but was immediately stopped again.

"I won't give you such an easy assignment," growled the assassin.

 _Why couldn't I have been anywhere else right now?_

"General Tesbin," Grey reported, "we have been met with… delays. Wait for my signal."

"What delays? Clarify, Commander!"

Grey sighed with frustration, but didn't answer. He was eluding Asajj at the moment.

Mairin just stared at her comlink for a second. She and Sayne had made it easily into the command tower, and entered with an ease a Jedi could only dream of.

Looking at the command tower across from her, Mairin could make out chaos and red light.

"Asajj," she whispered, her green eyes widening.

"Ventress?" Sayne strained to see, but he saw and hated it. "We have to save them!"

Mairin held up a hand to halt him. "No. We have to hold our position."

Lea wasn't one to use the Force in combat. However, Ventress was very comfortable using it. Mid battle, the assassin threw her out a window with the Force. Dazed but not injured, Lea picked herself up quickly and lept onto the top. Ventress followed her.

Wind streamed through Lea's hair and stung her eyes. Her bare shoulders became red with the cold, but she was too distracted to notice. Locked in combat with the formidable assassin, Lea had no time to think about anything. The wind was so strong it tested her balance. But, being skilled in the art of Soresu, balance and patience were her best points.

Grey ran to the controls and turned on his comlink again.

"On my mark, General." He grasped the power lever and waited.

Mairin sighed with relief as she watched with concern as Lea battled Asajj on the roof. She clutched the power lever and waited for Grey to call it.

"Now!" The commander pulled down, hoping General Tesbin had reacted in less than a second.

Lea sighed with relief as she heard the tower power down. Ventress looked down, grimacing with rage. But the frown turned into a smile when she and the Jedi heard alarms erupt, followed by red lights.

"Turns out it wasn't that easy," taunted Ventress, standing off.

"What-? What happened?" Lea frowned.

The assassin jumped off the building, leaving Lea to re enter the tower, seeing Grey flipping out at the controls.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he cried, smashing his fist into the dashboard. "We have to get out of here, General. We were too late."


	6. Unlucky

The Jedi's heart dropped. "How long do we have until this explodes?"

"Less than thirty ticks. Can't plan. We have to jump." Grey jumped back onto the sill, but hesitated.

Lea's mind timed itself with the countdown. Five ticks. There wasn't a way they could jump off safely and survive, given how long a way down the ground was.

Two ticks.

No more time to think.

Lea forced Grey off the sill and jumped off after him. She felt the heat as heard the deafening explosion of the tower, the force of it blowing the commander and herself further away. She winced as she felt her shoulders blister greatly.

The ground came at an alarming pace. Lea's eyes widened and she concentrated the Force on Grey, who stopped inches above the ground, then dropped with much less impact.

Lea wasn't so lucky.

She hit the ground with almost as much impact as she would when she first jumped, skidding across the concrete ground. She screamed with the pain, but her agony turned to silence. The Jedi was knocked unconscious when she came to a stop, rolling onto her stomach. Her hair flopped in front of her face, already caking with blood.

"General!" Grey picked himself up and ran to her side, rolling her onto her back. Her arms were greatly skinned from her adventure across the ground, her face a mess of blood and dirt. Her short dress was ripped and her leggings stained. Her arm was going a way Grey could not position his in for the life of him, and she didn't look comfortable at all. "Medic!"

Mairin and Sayne ran across the Bridge of Glass, panic in their eyes. They skidded to a stop next to Grey, who held Lea upright, trying to keep her breathing.

The 618th medic, Redflag, ran over and tended to her. He covered her in bacta bandages, and nodded his dismissal to everyone.

"I'm _not_ losing another general," protested Grey, looking back at the unconscious girl.

"Her Force signature is still strong, Commander," Mairin said. "Do not worry for her."

Grey gave her a small sideways glance. "General, I can't help but worry. She hit concrete from jumping off that tower." He looked up at the still crackling command tower. The one Mairin and Sayne came from stood tall, if not dark and vacant. "Not a lot of people can survive that."

Mairin nodded. "I know Lea. She will recover soon enough." She paused. "She has suffered worse."

Grey swallowed hard. "How much worse?"

The Master put up her hand, halting the conversation. "In her words, 'What is done to me is behind me, and what is to be done to me is on my mind.'"

The commander didn't think it was enough, given he didn't know his general past today. The Master walked past him, hardly concerned about the unconscious Lea. Sayne knelt by his friend's side, helping Redflag bandage her up.

Grey looked back at Lea for a hesitated second, wondering. Mairin knew things about the Jedi that he didn't. Secret things.


	7. Recovery

**AN: Translations from Yamarani are in dashes. e.g. /hello./**

"Sir," said Redflag over the comlink, "you better get here. Quick."

Grey ran to the sick bay, arriving as quickly as he could. He wandered to look for Redflag, and he found him next to Lea.

Surprisingly, she was awake.

Redflag stared at her, incredulous. Lea stared back, then at the bandages on her arms.

"I said, these are annoying. Will you please take them off?" she begged, pointing at the bacta patches across her face. "Can you just take off all the bandages?"

Grey's jaw unhinged. "You- wait, what?"

"I'm awake, I feel fine, probably lost a couple brain cells to that fall. What else do you need to know?" She instinctively touched the tip of her ear and her eyes widened. "What did you do to my earrings?"

"Textbook," replied Redflag, "she was supposed to be in induced sleep for at _least_ two days. It's been an _hour_."

"I asked where my earrings are!" exclaimed Lea, checking her other ear. The same piercing which were on that side were gone. "Do you know anything?"

"How could her… you're awake." Grey stared.

"Earrings. Can I have them back, please?" Lea opened her palm, awaiting her jewelry.

Redflag gasped and unraveled the bandages on her arms. Other than faded scars on the inside of her arm, there was no sign of bodily harm. Lea quickly pulled off the bandages on her other arm, then stood, making Redflag even more surprised.

"Did you leave them in here?" she asked, rummaging through the room.

The medic looked at her back, sure the blisters were still there. To his surprise, there weren't even popped marks.

"I'm so- I can't even-" Redflag shook his head. "She wasn't even hurt!"

"Aha!" exclaimed Lea, finding her earrings. She pushed them back in her ears, in the same pattern. "Thanks. Does this mean I'm out of here?" She looked down at herself, then paused. Her dress was not healed alongside her, and the rips on it revealed unbroken skin and, other than darkish scars across her sides and stomach, flawless healing. "I could use another outfit."

The two soldiers couldn't do anything. They just stared at her, wide-eyed.

Lea rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, oblivious to their amazement.

She covered the rips with her hands, blushing the whole way to her quarters.

The Jedi closed her door behind her and immediately changed out of her ripped up outfit and into a similar one. Her hair was certainly messed up from her tumble, and her nose now looked dark against the rest of her skin. She knew that would die down once the blood started moving back into it.

While brushing her hair out, she felt her stomach churn. Redflag seemed so skeptical of her. Like something went wrong. What if something did?

"You certainly scared the living daylights out of Commander Grey," said Sayne later on the evening on the Venator-class cruiser, the _Reprisal_. He paused, looking at Lea worriedly. "I'm sensing distress within you. Are you okay?"

Lea looked up. "I'm sorry. I'm just… distracted. Redflag didn't look so happy I was doing okay." She sighed. "Am I not okay?"

Sayne evaluated this. "I'm simply grateful you're back on your feet. And remember your own words."

"What's done to me is behind me, I know." Lea nodded. "But Grey and Redflag really scared me with their alarm."

"General Elmorton," said Mairin, walking up to her. "There's a message for you on the bridge."

Lea and Sayne shared a confused glance, then both stood to follow the Master to the bridge. There stood Commanders Dodge, Tuck, and Grey, their captains with them as well.

Dodge and Tuck looked especially shaken to see Lea come in, unscathed and walking perfectly.

"Weren't you just-" Dodge shook his head dismissively of his own question.

Captain Wave, under Grey, wouldn't stop staring.

"I'm fine." Lea put a hand up, finalizing any questions. "What was the message?"

Mairin tapped the hologram, and a man appeared, his presence making Lea smile. He wore a leather protective apron over his simple clothing, a hat over his dark hair for some reason. In his ears were the same piercings Lea wore, all the way down to the same charms. On his forehead was a pair of goggles, and on his hands were fingerless gloves. His dark eyes lit up with excitement when he saw Lea. " _Tolonomey, Sahsari! Umaj sarsarmaja chaja? Forjoki_?" /Hello, Sister! How's Jedi training? Very good?/

" _Ess forjoki, Letirmi_ ," she laughed. " _Lorbahsae fugi jerer tombo?_ " /It's very good, Letirmi. Something else to speak of, right?/

" _Sha_ ," replied the man, nodding. His smile faded. " _Lela lossmoni id shorcassi asido. Iss sor, fors noe. Mov seyhe, tosche? Lela ist wedna iggi_." /Lela was hurt in an uprising. She's okay, now. Come here, yes? Lela wishes it./

Lea's face became longer and longer as the man went on.

" _Lela ess fors noe_?" Lea echoed. The man nodded. /She's good now?/

" _Lione sey wisan ilosha noe_." /But she wants to see you now./

" _Letirmi, tosche sormau_." She shook her head. " _Tomoney, lione mori norshaj mov cando lelionish_." /Letirmi, maybe. Sorry, but I can't move from where I am like that./

The man's face fell, but he nodded. " _Mori shoseliad_." /I understand./

" _Mori liag tomoney_ ," Lea said quietly. " _Sormau_." /I'm so sorry, maybe./

The man nodded and the hologram blipped off, everyone looking to the small Jedi for translation.

Lea stood quietly, biting her nail with worry.

"May I be allowed leave?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"What did he say?" asked Mairin.

"That was my brother, Letirmi, from my homeworld of Yamaran." She sighed. "He said my sister was hurt in an uprising. He asks for my immediate visit, to fulfill my sister's wants and to help tone down the rebellions."

Sayne frowned. "Since when were there rebellions on Yamaran?"

"I've just heard my first on them," said Lea. "I've been sensing distress and frustration from my people for a while."

Mairin nodded. "I'm sure you can be given leave. After all, according to your health records, you're supposed to still be recovering." She smiled slightly.

"Thank you," Lea said, bowing. She left promptly.


	8. Epilogue: Odd Signatures

Asajj Ventress bowed before Count Dooku.

"The tower was not taken, My Lord," she said. "The Jedi had shown signs of incompetence."

Dooku turned. "Who was this Jedi?"

Ventress sneered. "A mere learner, General Lea Elmorton. Her commander was the one who believed they had taken the tower before the two were caught in the explosion."

The count frowned. "Lea Elmorton," he echoed. "Her Force signature is still strong, assassin. An odd one it is, as well." He felt for the Jedi's Force signature, sensing her presence. "Very odd."


End file.
